For the second time this year, president of the Tamil Nadu Theater Owner and Multiplex Association - Tiruppur Subramaniam has called out the box-office numbers of an actor Vijay movie. After disputing the collection of Varisu earlier this year, Tiruppur Subramaniam who is also a theater owner and distributor has said this about Leo's box-office:

"There is no real calculation of how this (box-office) total (Rs. 461+ Cr.) came about. It has just been put out there according to (the producer's) convenience" 

 

7 Screen Studio producer Lalit Kumar has also been accused of getting on a phone call with Tiruppur Subramaniam and bashing Subramaniam for his interviews on high distributor shares that were demanded for Leo. Subramaniam told Polimer News, "Lalit producer called me. He asked why I was giving interviews left and right (on Leo distributor share issue). He asked me then why did you screen the movie (as a theater owner). I asked him what did he think that we (theater owners) need not do business? That you'll (he'll) walk away after asking 70%, 80% (distributor share) according to your convenience?..You are thinking of walking away after scooping the whole (collection). That will not happen here." 

Tiruppur Subramaniam states in a Thanthi TV interview that when 7 Screen Studios distributed Vijay's Master in 2021, it was the exhibitors themselves who decided on giving a high distributor share of 70%. This was because at that time, the permitted theater occupancy was only 50% owing to the pandemic and Master was the one big hope of reviving the theater business. Subramaniam insists that it was made clear to Lalit at that time that the 70% share offered during that period was a one time special concession, yet Lalit took it too far with Leo by demanding upto 80% share. [Both Master and Leo are directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj]

Happy for my producers @7screenstudio & @Jagadishbliss 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GwvpMxS3cL

— Lokesh Kanagaraj (@Dir_Lokesh) October 26, 2023

Subramaniam also reasons that if a producer invests big money on a film, then there are more than one ways to recuperate their money; The OTT avenue where films are sold for huge numbers is an example.

When he disputed Varisu box-office Subramaniam had claimed that Lalit was advertising 'big' numbers, just because his banner 7 Screen Studios was producing Vijay's next film at that time - Thalapathy 67 i.e Leo. Now with Leo, Subramaniam claims that Lalit has been indulging in malpractices like proxy bookings overseas by spending upto Rs. 5 Cr., just to be in the good books of actor Vijay.